Ties Beyond Heaven and Earth
by Aramond
Summary: Ever wonder why Marietta even exists, why Asgard is inexplorable to mortals, what happened to spark the great disasters of Yggdra Union and Blaze Union? This should clear some of these questions up.
1. Chapter 1

**I own none of the content used in this fanfiction. All rights to the story and all original concepts belong to Atlus and Sting for developing and releasing Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone**

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"Holy Sword, Answer me!" The blonde haired mortal yelled as the Gran Centurio started to glow. I didn't understand; why did she choose to oppose the Gods, whom did nothing to provoke her. As the light grew brighter I tried to remember why I was even here and how this all began.

I guess this all started millennia ago in my former home of Asgard with my sister, Aymia, and the fallen one, Aries. We were young then, and the closest of friends. Aymia was always so cheerful and she was quite the beauty too. She had the longest red hair stretching down nearly to the fold of her back. Aries was a little shorter than Aymia, with short and scruffy blonde hair and seemed to be more of a thinker than a fighter. He always seemed to have new ideas to make combat easier but he refused to try any of his new ideas himself. We could never figure out what was going on in his head and he never seemed to let anyone in when someone changed the subject to war or combat. He would just shrug it off and drop the subject altogether. We were always worried about him, but he always seemed to get by so we never tried too hard to get him to tell us what he was thinking. Still, the three of us were the closest of the angels within Asgard and if it weren't for that, things might have turned out differently.

*A red haired angel glides through a myriad of brilliant flashes of light, narrowly avoiding two that shot past her left leg*

"Wow your aim is getting better but you need to focus more Marietta! Those last three should have been spot on but you just barely grazed me!" Aymia teased.

"Well my aim would be great if you weren't such a tough target….." I grumbled. Energy training was the worst type of exercise for me but Aymia insisted that if I were to ever pass the Grim Angel exams I would need better control over my powers. It also didn't help that I was a horrible shot and felt more at home with a weapon in my hand rather than firing energy from my palms.

"Hold still already so I can knock you out of the sky!" I screamed as I fired haphazardly at Aymia. It didn't really matter though, she was one of the best fliers in all of Asgard and even when my shots came close she was so nimble in the air that I wondered why she had legs in the first place. As one of my shots grazed her cheek she fired a shot back at me, nailing me square in the leg and knocking me off balance before I could fire another shot.

"Agh! Why…are…you so….good at….this?!"

"Because I practiced when we first got the hang of firing energy instead of flying around slashing targets~ I'll give you this though, if we were using our trainer's you probably would have knocked me out of the sky a long time ago. Come on already Marietta, you should have landed one shot by now, its been three hours~"

"SHUT UP!" I screamed as I turned the brightest shade of crimson I've ever seen. As I raised my hand to fire off another shot I didn't notice my bracelet wasn't glowing anymore. As the last bolt flew from my hand it fizzled out before it even managed to get 3 feet away. I was too surprised at that last shot to even notice Aymia land behind me and fire another shot, but this one hit me in the back and knocked me out.

I guess I should explain the whole bracelet thing. The bracelets are standard issue to all of the angels of Asgard. They act as restraints on our powers until we have a firm grasp on how to use them without blowing each other up. The only time an angel gets to remove their bracelet is if they pass the Grim Angel exams, a special set of tests made to push your body and mind to their absolute limits to see if you qualify to become a Grim Angel, or if you reach adulthood and prove that you can control your powers. Back to the Grim Angels, the Grim Angels were the elite set of angels that protected Asgard and only answered to the Seven Magi, Asgard's elite judges and the advisors on all of Asgard's most important matters. It was their idea to come up with the bracelets after more and more cases of angels losing control of their powers popped up. If it weren't for that Asgard would probably be in ruins from all of the young angels experimenting with their abilities.

The next thing I knew I was waking up in our house. I could hear Aymia in the living room singing. I was too beat up to even think about getting her back for that last cheap shot because my entire body felt like it had been pounded into a mountain. I had enough energy to get out of my bed and I was feeling a bit hungry so I headed into the kitchen. I had the weirdest craving for something sour but all we had left was a little shaved ice and some sea bream.

"Aymia! Where did all the food go?!"

"'Bout time you woke up~ You were supposed to go get some groceries before practice remember? You walked out with a list and everything."

"Oops" I thought. I did walk out to the store to get some food but I sorta got sidetracked when I got to the Academy. I've always wanted to be a Grim Angel and defend Asgard against demons and whatever else might threaten our home but I've never passed the exams even once. The closest I ever got was the shooting range and I blew up half of the stadium trying to hit my target. It's a little embarrassing to think that if my sister hadn't knocked me out I might have blow up the entire stadium and part of the Academy just trying to hit a small bull's eye.

"Just remember if we starve to death it's all your fault~ I already gave you the money and it's your turn to go out and get food this week."

"Oh shut it. If we didn't live so close to the Academy I wouldn't even have to pass it just to get to the store! Who even thought to build a building that important in the middle of Asgard anyways?!"

"Because then it's easier to find, and it makes sense. Why are you getting so worked up anyways? No one said that you had to yell your head off over forgetting to go grocery shopping" a snide voice echoed from upstairs.

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**Please read and review, this is my first fanfiction so I would really love it if I could get some criticism. Thank you and have a wonderful afternoon/night/day/what ever time of day it is for you :D**


	2. Chapter 2

"Aries?!" I screamed, maybe just a little too loud because Aries and Aymia both covered their ears. "Wait a sec, how did you even get in our house? Don't you have your own place to stay at instead of sulking in the shadows here?!"

"Geez you sure do yell a lot when you don't know what's going on. 1. Aymia let me in. She had to carry you back after she knocked you out at the training grounds. 2. Yes I do have my own place; or rather I did but some pranksters thought it would be a good idea to blow it up. 3. Before you start to ask anything else, Aymia said it would be okay for me to stay here for a few days until I can find another place or fix my old one. "

I was more than just awestruck at this point, Aries was a childhood friend and we always hung out together but him living here was….a little unnerving. Ever since our parents died when we were little it was just Aymia and I living together. Before I could even try to respond to that Aries started walking upstairs to my room.

"HEY! Where do you think you're going! THAT'S MY ROOM!" I shouted so loud the rafters started to shake.

"ow….well I was going to get one of my alchemy kits but I guess that can wai-"

M: "Wait, your….WHY IS YOUR STUFF IN MY ROOM!?"

Ar: "Will you stop yelling? I'm positive everyone in Asgard can hear you right now! Aymia and I _BOTH_ thought it would be better if we shared your room instead of having me sleep on your couch and living in the living room."

Ay: "Why are you so touchy? It's just for a few days anyways unless you can think of a better place for him to sleep.

M: "That's not what I ment…." I started pouting and then a revenge plan sparked in the back of my mind. "What I ment was why isn't Aries bunking with you? Everyone knows you two are the lovebirds anyways~"

"Hey that's not…..I mean…where did you even hear something like that" Aries just barely managed to sputter out

_Aymia turns around to face away from Aries and Marietta_

"Where on Asgard did you even here something like that?! I mean, we're friends but it's not….I mean it's not like he doesn't have any charms or anything but….."

"You both know you would sound a bit more convincing if you weren't turned away from each other and blushing bright scarlet~"

"OH FORGET IT!" Aymia shouts and storms off upstairs.

"Aymia wait a second! Marietta what's wrong with you!" Aries nearly yelped.

"You two are so touchy…I was just teasing you a little since neither of you bothered to tell me you were going to live here, and in my room no less!"

"YOU WERE UNCONCIOUS! And….well…..I can't be in the same room as your sister, it would just cause problems for the both of us."

Aries looked away from me with his head turned towards the ground, he almost looked like I broke his heart when I made Aymia storm off. Maybe it's just me but he seemed like he was hiding something that affected both of them.

"Look, I'll go calm her down ok? You just worry about the groceries you didn't buy" and with that Aries rushed upstairs after Aymia. I ran outside and flew off back down the route I normally take to the training field. If I was lucky no one found the money. I always fly through the most popular parts of town though because of all the attractions and how beautiful the city is in the daytime so the chances of the money being anywhere along the way would be something between….zero and zero.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we go with Chapter 3, I know this chapter is...extremely late but I dont do very well with translating thoughts to words. Im working on that and characterizing. **

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The first step was to fly down to my usual hotspot near the outskirts of town. It's great for warm-ups because tons of people go there to blow off steam and for a lot of similar reasons. I go there ans wait for thingsto get ugly and jump in the middle oto break things up my way. When I went there earlier I had the money in my satchel and my sword tranquilitas strapped to my back because I heard that there was going to be an all-out brawl at about noonish, When I got there though there was only a lone figure standing near the edge of Asgard. He was somewhere between middle-aged and his senior years with the slightest tinges of grey lining his beard and hair. Despite how old he looked he was built like a stone pillar and had a tattered brown cloak draped around his shoulders.

"Hey old man Gerode!" I yelled waving as I flew down to talk to him. "Where is the usual crowd? There's usually like, a thousand people moping about their lives and how much they hate not being able to kill demons on a regular basis."

"Hey, I'm not old! What's with young angels these days anyways, acting like life in Asgard is over because they can't kill demons or they didnt get some fancy pancy weapon. Back in my day-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah demons nearly overran Asgard multiple times blah blah blah. Look I don't have a lot of time so I need to know if you saw me earlier with a small satchel attached to my belt."

"When is earlier exactly? I dont quite know when you are talking about was but I do know that you've been stopping by alot more than you used to." Gerode chuckled. "Hey did I ever tell you about the great battle of Heaven's Gate? It was about a millenium ago tomor-"

"Sorry I can't stay for a story old man. Gotta fly!" I shouted down to him as I took off as fast as my wings could take me. Gerode is known for his stories and tales about all the great and terrible times Asgard has faced as long as he has been breathing. They are pretty cool the first time around...but Gerode has a tendency to ramble on for what feels like days. Most angels think he's senile because his stories keep changing and he doesnt even have proof of being in any of the battles he mentions (which is apparently all of them). Noone listens to him anymore now though and I didn't have time to deal with another one of Gerode's stories.

"Well that was a bust, guess I have to fly all through town to see if anyone knows about lost money. Great, now Aymia is going to kill me twice, once for what happened back home and again for losing our grocery money. Nothing is ever easy for us though is it...I hate my life sometimes"

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Soaring around town is easy when you know where you're going but getting information is impossible nearly. People are always on their way to different locales so most people dont want to stop just to answer some trivial questoins. I flew down to town square first because most of the wierd things seem to happen there. All of the "exotic" merchants decided to set up shop nearby so a bazaar ended up a few minutes away from the center of the square and it was easily the best place to look for anything. Everything is so interesting to look at, albiet overpriced, and tons of con artists pop up daily to scam the children but they somehow knew everything that was ever going on in Asgard so the bazaar was my only other hope besides backtracking all throughout town.

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_Earler that day..._

"Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap! I can't believe I nearly got scammed in the bazaar and _now_I'm going to be late for practice with Aymia! Stupid con artists trying to sell me useless junk. I knew I should have been paying more attention to Aries last week when he was explaining how the crystals in our bracelets worked and that there isn't a such things as a "super crystal" that can amplify your powers _or_ the crystal inside of your bracelet."

I was in such a fluster that I crashed into the central fountain headfirst. I stumbled backward and fell onto my back harder than hitting the fountain.

_The central fountain towered over the center of Asgard and it was a sight to behold. 5 tiers tall with water flowing out of each tier in various colors and patterns until it reached the bottom, where it was shot into the sky high enough to sprinkle back down to the ground. Even at night the water reflected different colors and shimmered gold when it was falling. On the sides of the fountain were 6 angel statues that each held a different weapon to the heavens._

"Ow...dumb fountain, why does it have to be so big anyways it's not like anyone actually needs a fountain this big in the middle of town. Forget it there's no way im going to make it to the training grounds on time now anyways. I might as well take my sweet time and get there as late as possible" I moaned rubbing my head. "You have to admit though, this fountain is definitely impressive. It's too big but the way the sunlight reflects off the marble is awe-inspiring. Everything in Asgard looks amazing but there is something...different about the square." I sigh as I sit on the edge of the fountain, "It just feels right being here. I shouldn't stay though, if I'm going to be late I should do something fun before Aymia chews my head off.

I stood up and walked around trying to think of somewhere fun to go that wasn't too far away. I eventually settled on heading to statue plaza because it wasn't terribly far from town square or the training grounds so it would actually sound believable to tell Aymia I lost track of time there.

_Statue plaza is a monument and dedication to all of the heroes and heroines of Asgard. In the center of the plaza rests a circle of statues dedicated to each of the Seven Magi (magistrates of Asgard and the direct links of Asgard to the Gods) which rise past the sky themselves_

"Well I wonder which statue I should visit anyways. Asgard has so many heroes and heroines that I could probably visit a different statue every day of the month and still have a few leftover."

I spun on my heels trying to decide until I eventually just gave up.

I guess...I could always go see Flauvel's statue today" I sighed as I flew towards the back of the plaza.

_Seraph Flauvel's statue was the smallest of the statues in Statue Plaza but it was easily the most elegant. Olive branches draped her shoulder length hair and her elegant armor. She holds her famed staff towards the heavens as the light gleams off of the staff's tip. Her armor covers her chest, legs, and shoulders in small plates while leaving her stomach completely exposed._

Seraph Flauvel was the last known heroine that Asgard has ever known as was easily the best angel anyone had ever seen. She led the grim angels in the great battle of Heaven's Gate. If it weren't for her leadership and prowess in battle Asgard might have finally been breached by the demon hordes. Once the dust settled though Flauvel was gone and there was no trace of her. She reappeared a few hundred years later but denied that she had any part in ending the fight or commanding the troops that fought at Heaven's Gate. She gave up her title and fame to go train the next generation of Grim Angels at the Academy where-

"Excuse me miss, but do you happen to know what time it is?" A gruff voice chuckled from near Flauvel's statue.

"Well its about noonish Mr...Old man Gerode?! When did you get here and why are you here anyways?!" I blurted out without really meaning to.

"Hey I may be old but my wings do still work young missy!" Gerode snapped back at me

I stuttered with my words until a thought crossed my mind, "HEY! You said you weren't old a while ago and here you are now admitting to being old! Which is it old man?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not old! Precocious little girl." Gerode spat at me, clearly displeased with my last response. "Besides that isn't why I got your attention. I wanted to give you a little history lesson."

"Look, as much as I'd love to listen to another one of your stories I don't think I have that kind of time. I should really be-"

"Nonsense, this wont take alot of time. Besides shouldn't you already be at the training grounds right now with your sister?"

"How do you-"

Gerode smiled at me and said, "I'm old, I know alot of things that I shouldn't. Now do you want to learn a little about Flauvel or are you just bumming around trying to avoid your sister" Gerode chuckled as he walked towards me.

"Alright I guess, what do you know that I haven't been told already? Is it about the statues themselves, or just Flauvel's?"

"All in due time Marietta, all in due time...for now, let me just tell you why Flauvel chose to give up fighting demons on the warfront..."

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**Well that was longer than expected but I needed to get alot of information out in this chapter while it is still a flashback. Flauvel has quite the interesting backstory planned but that's something she should tell you herself :D**

**Please review if you read the story, even anonymous reviews can help me improve as a writer seeing as I am terrible at this.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Yggdra Union or any of its affiliate rights. This is simply a fan story based on frustration and some creativity**

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_A lone female angel is standing in the center of a giant cathedral with several marble pillars surrounding her. At the top of each pillar rests a chair and in each chair a hooded figure sat. Each figure is mostly hidden except for their cyan colored wings and their faces. The central figure is standing and appears to be speaking for the other six._

Hooded Figure: "General Flauvel, I am sure you already know why you have been summoned here, and why no notice was given prior to mere minutes ago."

Flauvel: "Of course Magi Hector. We need to lead more forces in a surprise attack on the demons that are converging at the Riviera end of Heaven's Gate. If we don't it is likely that they will overrun Asgard and we will all perish. All angels in Asgard know this right now and are preparing for the worst, but why did you call me here, you can't possibly think I'm capable of leading as many Grim Angels as we have out in the field now?! I'm the most inexperienced general Asgard has right now!"

Hector: "Believe me you are easily the most capable angel left in Asgard that isn't one of the Grim Angels. I see you doubt your own ability though. You have a few hours to make your decision; but be wary, the fate of all of Asgard rests on your shoulders…."

Flauvel: "I understand…If it truly rests on me to lead the Grim Angels and defend Asgard then I will. You have my word that no demon will set foot in Asgard as long as I breathe! In the name of the Gods I will prevail!"

"You are truly the most devout of our followers, Flauvel. May the Gods bless you with victory in these dark days." Hector nodded with a slight chuckle hidden by the hood of his robe.

Flauvel: "By your leave."

As Flauvel bowed and turned to leave the room a bright light blinded Flauvel and the next she knew, she was already at the Grim Angel Academy with a bright glowing staff in her left hand.

Flauvel: "This is…the holy staff, Ancardia…!"

A drop of sweat formed on her brow, the reality of the situation hitting her harder than anything had ever before. In the next instant, as the drop of sweat fell, Flauvel flew into the academy to gather everyone still able to fight for the battle that lay ahead.

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Gerode: "Flauvel was easily one of the strongest and most capable angels that had ever defended Asgard but she had one fatal flaw….but that's enough for one day. I'm sure you had somewhere if you left earlier as fast as you did. I didn't even notice you were gone until I started the most riveting part of my story. I had just gotten to the part where-"

"Ohnonononono! I wasn't supposed to be goofing off this long, now there's no way I can make it to the training grounds before Aymia comes looking for me. Thanks for the history lesson old man but I have to get out of here NOW!

"I already told you I'M NOT OLD! Young angels these days not listening to their elders anymore….what has Asgard come to I ask?!" Marietta managed to hear Gerode spit under his breath as he ascended from the ground. "Listen here, one day it'll pay off to know these things and I really hope you remember what's important in these little, "History Lessons" people try teaching youngn's." With that, Gerode flew off towards the northern edge of town, probably to Memorial Hill and I flew back towards the training grounds hoping that Aymia didn't notice how late I was.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, as late as always. I had a really hard time making this fight scene work so I hope it is ok for a beginner writer

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By the time I got to the training ground it was almost the middle of the afternoon and most of the regular trainees were starting to take a break or head home. I scouted the far side for Aymia but I didn't see her anywhere.

"Great…she probably left to look for me ages ago. If she finds me I'll never hear the end of it! Stupid old man eating all my time with that story…I mean it was interesting but if that really happened that way then why didn't the Grim Angels win easily…I mean they barely survived that fight and the ones that made it back didn't do so well with recovery…."

Just then I heard rustling in the bushes on my right. I drew my sword thinking Aymia was in them and waiting for me to slip up like I did last time we trained, but I refused to let her get the upper hand on me again!

"You're open sis!" I screamed lunging at the bush. It was over before it even started, I slashed the bush twice and ruined it just for a rabbit to run off.

"Great…..the one time I think I can finally ambush Aymia and it was just a rabbit. I really hope she's still here" I started to sulk around the northern edge of the training grounds, which is really just a giant open field on the northern edge of Asgard. It's almost completely empty besides the occasional animal family nesting in the shade of the trees and bushes.

Just then I was sent toppling towards the ground, something fast and blunt hitting me in the back of the head. I twisted my body so that I could catch myself with one hand and sent a kick flying towards whatever was behind me. It seemed like a good idea until I saw that it was Aymia. She had a mischievous grin on her face as she dove to the ground and swept me off balance.

"You're getting sloppy Marietta~ We just started and you're already on the ground. You even fell for the decoy I had hiding in the bushes."

"Wait, decoy? You mean that rabbit?! What were you doing waiting for me anyways?!"

Aymia pounced on me with her knife on my throat. I knew she wouldn't kill me but the expression she had scared me anyways. She looked like a lioness that had just pounced on fresh prey, snarl included. I opened my mouth to try explained where I was but Aymia didn't look like she was in the mood for listening to my little adventure.

"Its bad enough you're as late as you are but I shouldn't have gotten you to the ground as easily as I just did. Something bothering you, or are you just getting old~"

"Hey I was coming here but then-"

"Look, it doesn't really matter that you are…4 hours late and it will be sundown soon enough. Just get up already so we can get in at least 1 hour of practice."

"I would but if I move now you'll just pin me to the ground again. Hey, how did you get that rabbit to rustle that bush anyways? It's big enough to hide a person, so who wouldn't think someone was hiding there."

"Oh, you're a few hours late so I wandered around. I found some guys hunting out here so I tried to get them to at least spare this rabbit and its children. It didn't go so well for the other guys but I managed to save the rabbits. I was actually going to leave to look for you before I heard rustling; I thought the rabbits were leaving but I saw you stalking that bush. After that it was child's play getting you paranoid enough to drop your guard." Aymia explained, resheathing her knife.

"Of course you managed to get animals to do your dirty work, that's just like you. Anyways….if we are going to train then could you at least let me GET ON MY FEET?!" I yelled as I threw Aymia to my left and rolled on to my left shoulder. As I started to push myself on to my hands Aymia flew into the air and started firing shot after shot from her bracelet. I rolled in her direction but I couldn't do much while I was still on the ground and with my sword on the ground where I was knocked down.

I started to shoot a few covering shots from my bracelet in an attempt to make it back to my sword, if I could get a weapon I could fly up there and Aymia wouldn't stand a chance; I was always better up close and personal than with my bracelet. Aymia seemed like she was just one step ahead of me this time though as she was already firing at my sword rather than me in an attempt to keep me from grabbing it. I dove for it and made a small shield around myself by burst firing more shots than I could count at each other and letting them explode on contact with Aymia's; the smoke from the explosions hiding me long enough to grab my sword and leap into the air.

"You're going all out today aren't you Aymia?! Well see if you can stop THIS!" I screamed sending a crushing overhead swing towards Aymia's right side.

"Wow Marietta, I think you are letting the blood rush to your head a little too much~" Aymia taunted, easily parrying the blow with the knife she pulled out of the holster around her left thigh, then swung me around, knocking my sword spinning back down to the ground. I shoved her knowing full well that without a weapon Aymia would keep gaining more and more ground until I lost, and I wasn't about to let that happen. I shoved a bit too hard though because I felt my sheath and some other stuff fall off my back and to the ground, along with Aymia. Of course Aymia has some sort of insane foresight because she rebounded while shooting bolt after bolt from her bracelet-

"Hey, that's it! It must have fallen off when I shoved her!" I exclaimed flying even faster towards the training grounds hoping that the satchel was still there when I arrived. It was starting to get dark and the thugs like stalking the outskirts of town and the training grounds once night fell.


End file.
